''Free Form Patterns'' (also released as ''Reflections'') is an album by the blues musician

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list o ...

backed by the rhythm section of

the 13th Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, a ...

, recorded in Texas in 1968 and released on the

International Artists International Artists (IA) was an American independent record label based in Houston, Texas, United States, that originally existed from 1965 to 1970. It is not to be confused with International Artists Records, a classical music record label foun ...

label.International Artists Records: album details
accessed November 13, 2018

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Al Campbell stated: "While not as revolutionary as John Lee Hooker's sessions with Canned Heat, ''Free Form Patterns'' steers clear of the late-'60s psychedelic trappings that screwed up such similar sessions as ''

Electric Mud ''Electric Mud'' is the fifth studio album by Muddy Waters, with members of Rotary Connection playing as his backing band. Released in 1968, it imagines Muddy Waters as a psychedelic music, psychedelic musician. Producer Marshall Chess suggested t ...

''. No one tried to bend Hopkins to fit a foreign musical approach on ''Free Form Patterns''; he made the music bend to him". ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' observed that "''Free Form Patterns'' isn't some hippy hybrid, it's a pure blues album – actually, scrub that; it's a pure Lightnin’ Hopkins album".Record Collector Review
accessed November 13, 2018 ''

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings'' is an encyclopedia of blues music albums released on CD. Content The book was released on 31 October 2006 and was written by Tony Russell and Chris Smith with contributions by Neil Slaven, Ricky Russel ...

'' wrote: "Despite these interpolations it's a rather lacklustre affair".

Track listing

All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins except where noted # "Mr. Charlie" – 7:02 # "Give Me Time to Think" – 3:49 # "Fox Chase" (

Billy Bizor Billy Bizor (September 3, 1913 – April 5, 1969) was an American Texas blues harmonicist, singer and songwriter. He was musically associated with his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, on some of whose 1960s albums Bizor played harmonica and sang backin ...

, Marty Rubenstein) – 2:53 # "Mr. Ditta's Grocery Store" – 5:30 # "Open Up Your Door" – 3:54 # "Baby Child" (Bizor, Rubenstein) – 3:35 # "Cooking's Done" – 3:48 # "Got Her Letter This Morning" – 4:57 # "Rain Falling" – 4:33 # "Mini Skirt" – 3:10

Personnel

Performance

– electric guitar, vocals *Duke Davis – bass *

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running si ...

– drums *

– harmonica and vocals

Production

Lelan Rogers Lelan Edward Rogers (June 9, 1928 – July 22, 2002) was an American record producer and record company executive. He was born in Cherokee County, Texas, United States, the eldest in a family of eight; which included his brother, singer Kenny R ...

– producer *Jim Duff –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

References

{{Authority control Lightnin' Hopkins albums 1968 albums International Artists albums